Blood Coast – Netflix Series Review

BLOOD COAST on Netflix is a French Crime series (org. title: Pax Massilia). There are six hour-long episodes in the series. Overall, it features a lot of action and stereotypes.  Entertaining, but not great. Read our Blood Coast series review here!

BLOOD COAST is a new Netflix series from France (org. title: Pax Massilia). It’s a crime, thriller, action hybrid and the season has six hour-long episodes. From the very first episode, both the crime and action will be front and center.

However, the whole thriller element is also there along with mystery. Of course, it does also feature a lot of stereotypes, which takes quite a lot of the mystery away. It’s simply too easy to anticipate the actions of many characters. Still, if action-crime is your thing, it will probably be good enough to entertain you.

Continue reading our Blood Coast series review below. Find it on Netflix from December 6, 2023.

Setting the stage

We follow a group of police officers using very unorthodox methods. As in very violent, not according to the rules, and also stashing some of the money taken from criminals. Not for themselves, but more in a Robin Hood way.

Because sure, the cops may be corrupt and using the same methods as the criminals they’re after, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad. Or something along those lines.

Yeah, I’m not a fan of this. It’s anarchy and I don’t really like it when this is presented as the only way to deal with criminals. I’m more of a “When they go low, we go high” kinda girl. Anyway, this is not that. Instead, it’s a plot that could’ve also been seen in the 1990s.

Bad cops, worse criminals?!

In fact, the whole “bad cops” – or at the very least, cops acting like criminals – was something we’ve seen documented just a few days ago. In 1989 in The Boston Murder docu-series on HBO. It showed that this was how many cops acted. They even admit as much themselves.

Hell, maybe they still do. I’m sure some of them do. But we don’t applaud them for it, nor are we supposed to be rooting for them. At least I wouldn’t expect as much.

In any case, in Blood Coast, the cops may be bad, but the criminals are worse, So, when a new recruit who is supposedly looking for a fresh start, joins the “rogue cops” (as they’re called in the official plot), it’s the beginning of a dangerous mission. It quickly turns into them tracking down the drug lord Franck Murillo.

Fans of other French productions will recognize the actor portraying Murillo. His name is Nicolas Duvauchelle and he was in the Black Butterflies series and the award-winning 2011 movie Polisse.

Watch the Blood Coast series on Netflix now!

The new French Netflix series was created by Kamel Guemra and directed by César Awards winner — and former police officer — Olivier Marchal. It was also co-written by director Olivier Marchal and creator Kamel Guemra (Lost Bullet).

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Actors seem to enjoy working with Olivier Marchal as the Blood Coast series reunites Marchal with several actors. Nicolas Duvauchelle (Braquo), Moussa Maaskri (Rogue City), and Olivier Barthélémy (Overdose).

Admittedly, I was not impressed. However, if you don’t mind the stereotypes and predictable elements, then I’m sure it’s fine for a night of light entertainment. It just isn’t great and certainly could have been better.

Blood Coast (org. title: Pax Massilia) is on Netflix from December 6, 2023.

Details

Director: Olivier Marchal
Writers: Olivier Marchal, Kamel Guemra
Stars: Jeanne Goursaud, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Tewfik Jallab, Florence Thomassin, Samir Boitard, Moussa Maaskri, Florence Thomassin, Lani Sogoyou, Olivier Barthélémy, Idir Azougli, Diouc Koma